The Path Less Traveled
by superhawkk
Summary: Charlie hasn't seen her family in six months. She doesn't know if they are dead or alive. How she found herself in this situation is still a mystery to her. A mystery that she continues to ponder as she follows Sebastian Monroe through the crowded bar that smelled of stale liquor, body odor, and bad news.
1. Chapter 1

Charlie hasn't seen her family in six months. She doesn't know if they are dead or alive. How she found herself in this situation is still a mystery to her. A mystery that she continues to ponder as she follows Sebastian Monroe through the crowded bar that smelled of stale liquor, body odor, and bad news. Once again they were meeting with a shady cartel lord to see if his men might have seen or heard something that could give some clarity to how Miles, Connor, and Rachel seemed to have disappeared into thin air. As they pass through the small hallway into the office of the man they were here to see, Bass is suddenly thrown in a chair opposite side of the desk of Juan Reyes himself. Before Charlie can pull her knife, she is pushed roughly up against a wall with a blade pressed to her throat. "Hey!" Bass starts to protest as he starts to rise out of his chair to help Charlie but the cold metal of a .22 pistol stops him in his tracks. The man behind the desk lets out a laugh that makes Charlie's blood run cold. What had Monroe gotten them into this time?

"I understand that you are looking for your family young lady, Reyes said to Charlie leaning back in his chair folding his hands in front of himself, lucky for you I am in a bargaining mood today." Before Charlie had the opportunity to form a reply around the cold metal harshly digging into her skin Bass spoke up. "What is your price?" Reyes hadn't looked at him once, keeping his eyes trained on Charlie. After a silence that seemed to stop time he finally replied, "Her." Bass set his jaw, "No." A smirk curled its way up on the sweaty man's face as he laughed once again. "I don't want to keep her, he stated as he got up from behind his desk and walked over to Charlie like a predator stalking its prey, just for the night you see." "I said no," Bass said again with more venom no longer looking at the gun pressed squarely against his forehead but instead staring at the man who was gazing at Charlie like she was a piece of meat. "I'm not bargaining with you, Reyes said causally over his shoulder now nose to nose with Charlie and she was fighting the urge not to head but him as hard as she could, I am bargaining with her." Reyes waved his hand in the general direction of the knife pressed to her throat and told his henchman to remove weapon for it hindered the girl to speak. Once removed, Charlie took a deep breath, "Information first," she stated. Bass stiffened in his seat. Reyes laughed and clapped his hands together like a gleeful child watching fireworks for the first time.

Bass curled his hands up at his sides as he listed to the accounts of one of Reyes men, by the end of it he was furious, so was Charlie, "What the hell do you mean it just happened," she roared at Reyes. The man shrugged his shoulders innocently. "That the information doll, I fulfilled my end of the bargain, now it's your turn." Charlie made a move to grab the knife at her waist but before she could get a solid grip Reyes pinned her up against the wall once more, keeping her hostage with his own body pinning her so, a knife back at her throat. What was it with these people and knifes? "Now, now, now Ms. Matheson you don't want to anger me now dear, he whispered as he slowly pressed the blade into the skin of her collarbone, causing a small stream of blood to run down her chest disappearing into her cleavage. Charlie held in her flinch as the man leaned forward and licked the small river of blood and pressing a sloppy kiss to her skin before leaning back up to look her in the eye, "Oh I am going to have fun with you." Stabbing the knife into the wall just out of Charlie's reach he grabbed a handful of her hair and turned her head to the side lightly biting at the sensitive skin of her earlobe and neck. Charlie felt her face flush realizing not only was this about to happen but that this was about to happen in front of Bass. She closed her eyes and willed her subconscious away to a time when she was happy, when Danny was still alive and the only thing she had to worry about was being home before dawn so her father wouldn't sit her down with another lecture of how dangerous the real world is and how she wasn't as strong as she thought she was. What she wouldn't give to sit through another one of his lectures today. He would probably lecture her now she thought. The only reason she is in this mess is because she got in another fight with her mother and stormed out into the woods to pout. Sebastian and Miles decided to divide and conquer, Miles talking to Rachel and Bass trudging into the woods after Charlie. Bass was once again separated from his son all because was unable to see eye to eye with her mother, Charlie pushed the guilt away. Suddenly the probing fingers as well as the hot mouth was off of her and a loud crack forced Charlie's eyes open. Before her Reyes laid crumped on the ground his head turned at an unnatural angle and the henchman all in similar conditions strewn out of the floor around her.

Charlie turned her eyes to Bass as he looked over her, his chest heaving. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice gruff with anger and adrenaline. All she could do was stare, yeah she had seen Bass kill before, he had tried to kill her once upon a time and had killed with her and for her since but this was different. He was shaking with emotion, his body vibrating with pure rage, "Charlotte, are you okay?" She felt a bite of mild annoyance at being called by her full name and it shook her out of her trance, "Yeah, I'm okay, I'm fine," she said locking eyes with Bass. "Good, we have to go like now," he put his hand at the small of her back leading her away from the blood soaked office. The pair slipped out the side door and ducked under the cover of the woods putting as much distance between them and the men that would soon be searching for them.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Charlie asked staring into the fire. Bass looked at her through the flames, he knew at they were running out of time. That she was desperate because for the first time she actually looked like a scared little girl. "Now, we find a town rest up, get the supplies we need, and we head to Louisiana."


	2. Chapter 2

After four and a half weeks on the road Charlie and Bass have small talked their way to having nothing else to talk about. It's just a few hours past noon and the pair have been walking since sunrise, they have been silent for about two hours Bass thinks. The only sound to be heard is the soft sound of their boots on the dirt road and the wind lightly racing through the branches and leaves of the trees providing shade as far as the eye can see. It is a comfortable silence, one where they lightly brush hands, arms, shoulders on occasion and it is not awkward or weird, it's nice even.

Bass watches her from the corner of his eye. She has changed so much from the frightened but brave teen who threw herself in front of Danny the night he threatened to kill them both because of Rachel. To say that she was beautiful the freaking understatement of a lifetime. He was drawn to her more and more every day and he's finding it harder and harder to be secretive about it.

Charlie doesn't know why Bass keeps looking at her. Does he think that she is going to try and kill him again? Cause as impossible as she thought it was she has moved on from that. She has actually grown quite fond of him. And the idea of him getting hurt makes her heart race and her throat tighten, not that she would ever admit it to anyone.

"We should break for a bit and start back up dusk," Bass interrupts her thought process. "I can go further," Charlie insists, trying to ignore the blister that suddenly made itself very well know at the idea of stopping. "Well I'm exhausted and need a bath so I'm taking a break," he said walking towards the rushing water that she hadn't really noticed until then.

The idea of a bath and resting her sore and swollen feet in cool water had her instantly on Bass' heels. Once they reached the bank she thought about how they can't bathe in the same place. "I'll head downstream a little," she told Bass as she turned to walk away but before she took a step Bass grabbed the inside of her elbow, "No, It's not safe, we stay together at all times."

Just as she was about to argue she bag slipped down her shoulder and trying to catch it she lost her balance on the slick clay bank, sending her and bass tumbling into the shallow cool water. She didn't even have time to register what happened before his strong arms grabbed her sides keeping her upright in the waist deep water. From where she had landed on his she felt his hard chest and shoulders shake laughing, "Damn Charlie, you have all the grace of a baby hippo." She felt her cheeks flush, standing up she felt his eyes on her. She was embarrassed. "Well guess it's time to wash clothes too," He said still chuckling.

He pulled to now soaked shirt over his head and used it as a makeshift washcloth scrubbing away the dirt and grim that he so quickly acquired. Charlie felt the air stop in her throat. The water washing away what standards she had left. Was she really being turn on by this, by Bass? When he looked up and grinned at her, catching her staring, she felt it in her core. Holy shit, this is new.


End file.
